Tikkurila is committed to the principles of eco-friendly green building

Author Mats Hägerström | Director, Sustainability Aug 29, 2019 3:54:00 PM

Tikkurila is committed to the goals of the international Green Building Council and wants to promote sustainable development and eco-friendly design, such as making sustainable development a natural part of all aspects of the real estate and construction industry.

Energy and environmental efficiency are at the very foundation of green building.

Evolving, more responsible methods for our changing world

Humanity needs to change its ways. This does not mean going backwards but rather evolving new ways of living and consuming natural resources.

Global megatrends, such as population growth, urbanization, rise in the standard of living, and the growing middle class create a new urgency to mitigate climate change, improve resource efficiency, promote a circular economy, and preserve biodiversity.

The key challenges have been jointly addressed in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Promoting eco-goals in the real estate and construction industry

Each industry has identified key challenges for their operations, including concrete steps to solve them.

To meet sustainability goals, the real estate and construction industry focuses on the following key points:

  • Safe and easy use: Minimizing harmful substances is particularly important.
  • Interior air quality and emissions: High-quality interior air is a result of eco-friendly products with minimal emissions.
  • Energy efficiency and emissions: 39% of emissions from global energy use are related to buildings, with 28% of all emissions created over the building lifespan from heating and cooling.
  • Material efficiency: The construction industry offers durable products that can be repaired and maintained, with materials separated and returned to circulation at end of life.

The built environment has a key role in the circular economy in optimizing material and energy circulation and recovering and renewing resources. Tikkurila is also committed to promoting these common goals and values.

Always one step ahead with product development

Responsibility and ecology shine through in all our operations, from product development all the way to continuous quality control. The Tikkurila Group currently offers over 300 ecolabeled products with either a national or an international ecolabel or the low-emission M1 classification for construction materials.

Our product development takes a proactive view of the changes in legislation and the criteria of ecolabels and construction materials. The sustainable development of built environments and products that promote good interior air quality play a particularly important role at the moment.

Proactive product development and uncompromising quality control ensure that we can meet the demands of the industry now and in the future. We believe that continuous development is necessary to attain the goals of sustainable development.

You can identify green building products by their ecolabeling

Various green building evaluation tools, known as building environmental classifications, have been created to evaluate the eco-friendliness of a building. Evaluation criteria are dependent on the classification used.

For example, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel can only be granted to products and services that are among the best in their category in terms of the environment. The requirements for the label are specified so that no more than 20–30% of products or services in their category can meet them.

The LEED and BREEAM environmental classifications have their own evaluation criteria, designed to ensure that green building principles are met in construction projects. For these projects, Tikkurila offers a broad selection of products, services, and systems that meet the criteria.

Looking for a responsible partner for your green building projects? Get in touch, we’re happy to help!

This is just the first in a series of green building blogs that we are launching. To read the articles first, sign up for our email newsletter here.

Topics: Green Building

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